Having an Open Mind

It seems that narrow and closed minds have always been around, and seem to be found among followers of religion in every age and place. Unfortunately, they give religion a bad name by arrogantly claiming they alone know what is right and true, and by clinging to their opinions in a way that alienates others.

The words of the 10th century rabbi and sage named Saadya apply as clearly to people of our time as of his.

Today, one of the threats to peace is that posed by fundamentalists of all religions, who refuse to consider any viewpoint but their own.

The tendency to want to be right, of course, is one we all share. Saadya's words, therefore, are useful for us to consider, and reflect the broad mindedness and reasonableness of the best of the Jewish tradition.

Narrowness of mind is a source of spiritual and moral ignorance.

If your mind is narrow, you believe there are simple answers to every question,

which can be found rapidly and without effort.

You refuse to search widely, and become impatient.

If any question takes more than a few moments to answer, you become impatient.

As a result, your morality and spirituality is superficial, and therefore

cannot withstand difficult situations and tough challenges.

At some moment in the past you may have heard a particular spiritual or moral argument

which appealed to you, and to which you firmly attached yourself.

While this argument may have merit, it can only contain a fraction of the truth.

But in your attachment to it, you believe that it is sufficient.

This closes your mind to other arguments and views, which may contain other parts of the truth.

When you hear a view or an argument that is inconsistent with your existing beliefs,

you ridicule it and treat it with contempt, or ignore it.

You only accept views and arguments that strengthen your beliefs.

You say that your beliefs are held by many others, and this proves their worth.

But the truth is not determined by popularity.

Besides, it is unlikely that your existing beliefs are flawless.

If you sincerely wish to know the truth,

you must be open to views that are inconsistent with your own,

and grapple with contradictions.

You may have a perverse mind, which enjoys finding faults and flaws in the arguments of others,

but which pays no attention to the merits of those arguments.

If you wish to make spiritual and moral progress,

you should seek the merits in the arguments of others,

and use those arguments to reveal the flaws in your own beliefs.

My reflections:

I must admit that there are times in my life when I have been passionate enough about certain opinions

and beliefs to act as if they were flawless. Maybe you have too. It is good to be reminded that none of us has, at any given time, more than a fraction of the truth, and that there is much we can learn from opinions different than our own, even if they seem to contradict our cherished ideas.

Think of how much more helpful and civilized our discourse would be, especially in the media, if this Jewish sages advice were taken to heart!